Yesterday during sacrament meeting I was reminded of the story of the brother of Jared.  As he goes before the Lord,  he is very aware of his own shortcomings and weakness.  Just a few verses prior,  the Lord chastised him for failing to call upon the Lord.

It also reminds me of the BYU professor who was upset at his kid,  told him to go to his room until he was told he could come out and then he forgot. Hours later the child came out with a sobbing-stutter,  “Daddy,  can we ever be friends again?”

So many times we feel as though we have been sent to our room spiritually,  and we’re brutally aware of our shortcomings,  but there we are,  in need of the Lord’s grace and assistance.

But here is the bold faith of the Brother of Jared, 

“We are unworthy before thee; because of the fall our natures have become evil continually; nevertheless, O Lord, thou hast given us a commandment that we must call upon thee, that from thee we may receive according to our desires” (Ether 3:2).

And so he asks the Lord to touch those 16 stones,  and in a wonderful moment,  the Brother of Jared receives so much more than he ever could have hoped to have come out of this experience.  He becomes one of the first to see Jesus Christ as he will appear in His mortal ministry.

I find so much hope in this account.  In so many ways we are like the Brother of Jared,  in need of some light for our journey. We know our weaknesses and shortcomings,  we may have even made big mistakes in the past,  but not withstanding,  we need that light.

When we look throughout the Book of Mormon,  is there any prayer for help that goes unheeded in the Book of Mormon? It’s beautiful. And as is so wonderfully portrayed in this story,  so often the Lord’s response far exceeds our humble hopes. Much like the father in the story of the prodigal son, we often find the Lord runs to our aid when we take those steps in His direction.

So,  like the Brother of Jared, when we come forward with our best effort, much like those simple stones, there is no reason we can’t see the finger of the Lord bring light into our lives.